Bicycling 36 km per day in city traffic is feasible?

Question

I am planning (still in planning phase since last 1 month :( ) to use bicycle as my commute to and from office.

My office is around 18 km away from my home. Almost half the road will be full of traffic. Everyone in my family has already told me that 36 km per day will be too much and I wont be able to continue cycling for long time.

I am aware that initially it will be tough to go 36 km per day but I think after month or so my body will get used to it.

So I am wondering how much km do other people go per day? What are your experiences about cycling? and 36 km per day is too much distance?

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Update : Finally I bought one cycle against everyone's suggestion (family members and friends) and started cycling to the office. I must say it is a tough job to start cycling after 10 years but I am enjoying it. It takes me almost the same time to reach office. On my motorcycle I used reach office in 40 minutes and on cycle it takes me around 50 minutes. Dust, pollution and other people yanking horns from behind is the biggest headache for me now. I hope that I will get used to it :)

Thanks everyone for your encouragement, suggestions and answers.

Answer 1

I have a co-worker who rides into work on a ~30 mile one way trip. It's no problem for him because he's a good cyclist, has a good bike, and is used to that kind of distance. He's got his saddle worked out, his form is good, his lights are good, and he knows his route.

The biggest problem he has is dealing with a locker room, and needing to move clothes back and forth. He usually drives in on Friday to haul his used up work clothes back his house.

The things I would focus on:

• The logistics of clothes, weather, being clean, and your schedule.
• Knowing how to fix a flat.
• Having a back up plan when you wake up and it's raining/snowing/hailing outside.
• Getting used to the mileage. If you've never really ridden before you'll be dealing with soreness, kinks, and gear issues.
• Good bike maintenance. If you keep everything lubed up, fix little issues before they get big, and can do your own work (or most of it) you'll have a lot less problems.

I was riding my bike your distance to work when I was 14 years old, but I was also a competitive cyclist so the distance was nothing. A mid-range competitive cyclist can easily pack away 400 mile weeks in the winter so your co-workers are nuts that it's not possible given you have the body and bike to do it.

Answer 2

Traffic is definitely an issue, adding to the important concerns Eric had described. Since automobiles have vastly different dynamics, and drivers often do not expect anything but other cars on the road, your presence will often be an unpleasant surprise for the less attentive of them.

I would suggest wearing a good helmet and not these tiny plastic caps (possibly with face cover — sadly it is not scandalous to hear about a cyclist breaking their teeth and/or nose upon impact), gloves which you will trust with protecting your hands on contact with asphalt on 35 km/h, knee and elbow protection.

It is also a must to be making yourself visible to the drivers. Blinking LED front light (but not too bright or with adjustable brightness so that you will not be blinding and distracting people at darker hours), large and bright red back light, LED-lined vest if you can find it, other red lights directed to the ground, the more the better.

Answer 3

Traffic varies a lot between countries - my guess is that it quite a different thing in India than in Denmark.

During the last 20 years many Danish cities have been completely re-designed to better accommodate the many bikes - often by reducing the number or width of the car lanes to make room for dedicated bike lanes. And for a city like Copenhagen, it has been a huge success where more than 20% of the morning traffic is by bike on the more than 450 km bike lanes and tracks (you can find a lot of information from the concil)

This picture is from downtown Copenhagen an Autumn morning.

Apart from the odd accident with a right-turning lorry, biking in Copenhagen is a relatively safe experience.

For many years I went 2*20 km each day to and from work. As stated elsewhere the main problem was getting a locker room and handling you clothes...

Answer 4

It's all relative. I ride 8 km each way to work, and I ride all year in the wet and rainy Pacific Northwest of Washington State.

There is a guy at work who rides about 22 km each way, and he too rides all year.

My route puts me in traffic most of the way, but Washington State is regarded as the most bike friendly state in the U.S.

On your question of feasible, if one is fit enough then the distance won't be a challenge. I'm 47, and I rode my first two Centuries (100 mile rides) earlier this year. In terms of the traffic, really only you can gauge it and decide.

Answer 5

My commute is exactly the same:18km one way. I have an electric motor 350w that helps a lot, on normal days no shower needed in the morning. I tried all possible side roads until I found a nicer route, even if that is 5km more, I prefer the safer and quieter way.

Answer 6

I used to commute 14 kilometers one way, which makes up 28 both ways to work every day. Needed to get used at first but it did not take much time. A bicycle moves 22 km/h in average in a tight traffic with lights, +-3 km/h if you are lucky or not, which makes some 40 minutes for the whole trip - not a big deal, really. I did not ride in rain and when it is much colder than possible for comfort. Use lights at night, take care of traffic and you will be fine. I don't think there's any extra preparation needed.